Paul Rudd, Lady Gaga, and All the Celebs Who Ate Vegan on ‘Hot Ones’

If you spend even a sliver of your time catching up on celebrity gossip, you’ve most likely watched Hot Ones. The competitive web series, hosted by Sean Evans from Complex, invites big name stars to test their spice tolerance, as they’re required to eat different levels of spicy hot wings while answering tough interview questions. Since the series first aired, a number of Hot Ones guests have opted to dine vegan, exercising their spice endurance while eating seitan or cauliflower wings.

And although this doesn’t mean they’re necessarily vegan or vegetarian full-time, it gives us hope that celebs are making positive choices that may inspire their fans to do the same. That said, here's a full list of celebs who chowed down on vegan wings on Hot Ones.

In February 2025, Lady Gaga came on Hot Ones to promote her new single "Abracadabra," and she opted for the vegan wings.

"These are good wings, too. I think I have the plant-based ones," she told Evans, who concurred and said that he had them too.

Not only did vegan singer and actress Ariana Grande eat vegan wings — chased by almond milk — on Hot Ones, but she also shared a few anecdotes about living as a vegan. "My family always forgets— I don't think they forget, I think they don't want to remember," she quipped, when asked about balancing being vegan with Sicilian cooking.

"My Nona always offers me meatballs and I'm like, no thank you, like I'm still plant-based and still sorry," she jokingly added, noting that her brother-in-law, Hale Grande, is also vegan.

Yes, while Paul Rudd did his hilarious and legendary Hot Ones interview, he was eating vegan wings. It's also the moment he uttered his viral quote, "Who would have thought? Not me."

But is Paul Rudd vegan? Despite eating vegan wings on Hot Ones, Rudd is not vegan or vegetarian. “I’m actually not a vegetarian but I’m trying to become better,” Rudd said, as per LiveKindly.

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA was the very first Hot Ones guest to dine vegan, though it's no surprise — the rapper has advocated for veganism for quite a while now, and he recently started issuing "Plant Grants" to fund vegan projects at Black-owned restaurants.

Actress and singer Keke Palmer apparently "dabbles in the plant-based lifestyle," as Evans put it, so they feasted on Field Roast vegan nuggets. This was Palmer's second time on the series, but her latest time on the show was honestly even better than the first — Palmer is truly an all-star.

Black Swan star, Natalie Portman, has abided by an animal-free, vegan diet for years, so obviously, she chose to eat vegan wings on her episode of Hot Ones. At the start of the interview she was initially very humble about her spice tolerance, which we ultimately found out was pretty high — but as you know, vegans appreciate a little spice every now and then.

Broad City duo Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are constantly speaking out about important issues from LGBT rights to voting laws, and now, we're finding out they also advocate for cruelty-free lifestyles. The two both ate plant-based on the show, washing down their vegan wings with almond milk.

Weird Al made a totally not weird decision in choosing to eat vegan on Hot Ones. Happy Cow reports Weird Al is "mostly vegan" with the exception of a cheese pizza every now and then.

Although comedian Russell Brand is certainly controversial, we're glad to see he ate vegan on Hot Ones. In fact, per LiveKindly, the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor hasn't eaten meat since he was 14 years old, and has been vegan since 2017. He says he was "nagged into veganism by society,"

English actor, Ricky Gervais is a vegan, and a constant advocate for animal rights. So, it's no surprised that he also decided to go for the vegan wings on his episode of Hot Ones.

R&B king Thundercat ate meatless wings on Hot Ones — and that's because he is apparently a longtime vegan. According to The Washington Post, the singer, songwriter, and bassist went vegan around the same time he stopped drinking alcohol several years ago, and he lost 100 pounds.

Writer, model, and fashion designer, Alexa Chung, opted for vegan nuggets during her time on Hot Ones, because she is — in fact — a strict vegetarian, as per Marie Claire UK. As you'd expect, she charmed all of us during her interview, and ultimately participated in the "last dab," where Evans prompts guests to add extra sauce — a truly team player.

High Fidelity actress Zoe Kravitz opted for meatless wings on the show, and although she said she used to be vegan and no longer abides by the lifestyle, she said she tries to eat mostly plant-based for the sake of the planet.

"I did grow up vegan, I'm not vegan anymore, but I'm trying to be better," she told Evans during her interview.

Universally loved Jeff Goldblum has been spotted at Veggie Grill and ate vegan on Hot Ones — so that's a win in our book. Sadly, per Are They Vegan, he isn't totally plant-based, but we love that he's willing to go meatless every so often.

It’s no surprise that longtime veg, Kristin Bell, opted for meatless wings. The Good Place actress has been vegetarian since she was 11 years old, per Insider, and has also dabbled in veganism.

We're all in this together, and so is HSM icon, Vanessa Hudgens. Celeb Answers reports that she isn't fully vegan, but she is pescatarian — meaning she eats fish, eggs, and dairy, but no land animals.

In addition to being trained in fencing, Maisie Williams also fights animal injustice by being vegan. The Game Of Thrones star ate vegan cauliflower wings during her time on Hot Ones, and although she struggled with the spicy sauces, she successfully made it through.

Olivia Rodrigo opted for the “good 4 u” option in lieu of chicken wings during her time on Hot Ones. The Grammy winner previously followed a meat-free diet, but has since mentioned eating meat again.

Gen Z queen and "bad guy" singer, Billie Eilish, made a nonchalant (but still very cool) debut as a vegan on Hot Ones in 2019. She went vegan in 2014, when she was just 12 years old, after finding out about the meat industry's ethics (or lack thereof).

In July 2024, she and her brother/producer Finneas returned to the show to promote her album Hit Me Hard and Soft — and, of course, the vegan brother-sister duo opted for vegan wings.

Lilly Singh has made countless videos about being vegetarian, so we weren't shocked to find the YouTube personality decided to eat plant-based wings on Hot Ones. Her spice tolerance was next to nothing, but she had a great interview nonetheless.

Rapper and singer-songwriter, Anderson .Paak, not only killed it as a Hot Ones guest, but also ate vegan on the show. Before biting into a nugget, he double-checked to ensure everything was vegan. He hasn't spoken out much about veganism, but it seems as though he likely abides by a plant-based diet.

Comedian Pete Holmes' pick of poison was vegan wings on his episode of Hot Ones, and that's because he's apparently vegan. "As a vegan, i love animals. especially my high horse [sic]," he once said in a tweet, which — although it was a joke — seemed to hold some weight.

He may be a total prankster, but Steve-O was serous about choosing vegan wings. The Jackass alum has abided by a primarily plant-based diet for years, as part of transitioning to a healthier lifestyle, according to LiveKindly.

Canadian actor, Thomas Middleditch, has admitted in the past that he's an "aspiring vegetarian," as per LiveKindly, so he won us over by ordering some vegan wings. We respect his meatless efforts, and hope that he becomes the vegetarian he aspires to be.

"Good As Hell" singer, Lizzo, is a known vegan, so we weren't surprised when she opted for plant-based wings on her episode — which were evidently made from Daring chicken pieces!

At one point, the renowned flautist also decided to soothe her burning taste buds with oat milk ice cream. Needless to say, it was a solid episode with some seriously delicious looking food. It definitely did plant-based eats justice.

As a lifelong vegetarian, it's no surprise Emma Chamberlain went with plant-based wings — during both of her appearances on Hot Ones. During her first episode, she commented on how good the wings were, and Sean Evans told her that one of our all-time favorite vegans, Natalie Portman, recommended them. Who would've guessed?

"What are these? That’s some weird uh… fake chicken," Kravitz says after taking the first bite of his plant-based drumstick. While the longtime vegan singer seems to be the only guest so far who wasn't a fan of the plant-based wings, we respect his opinion.

Though the Wednesday actor previously stated she is no longer vegan, after filming the popular Addams Family spinoff in Romania, Jenna Ortega appeared to have been eating plant-based wings during her episode of Hot Ones.

Florence Pugh appeared on Hot Ones in March 2023, and she opted for cauliflower wings. The British actress also hosted a "Cooking With Flo" series on social media.

Iconic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus appeared to be eating cauliflower wings in her Hot Ones interview, which aired in June 2023.

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver seemed to eat some sort of plant-based chicken wing during his Hot Ones interview. Oliver is not vegan, but he has used his late night show to shine a light on the issues of factory farming.

Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton is an outspoken vegan and animal advocate, so naturally, he ate the vegan wings during his appearance on Hot Ones in May 2024. During the episode, Hamilton even suggested to host Sean Evans that he "should do the vegan" wings more often, as it would "save so many chickens."

This article, originally published on July 8, 2021, has been updated.